Direct Synthesis and Characterization of Photo-Crosslinkable Biodegradable PLA-PEG-PLA Ttiblock Copolymer with Methacrylates Functions by Green Montmorillonite Clay Catalyst

Abstract

Di-methacrylated PLA-PEG-PLA triblock copolymers of polylactide and polyethylene glycol were synthesized in one-step process by bulk cationic polymerization of lactide in the presence of PEG with different average molecular weights, using Maghnite-H+, an acidic montmorillonite clay, as a solid non-toxic catalyst. The obtained di-methacrylated copolymer was analyzed by 1H NMR and DSC. The effect of Maghnite-H+ proportions and PEG average molecular weight on the copolymerization and methacrylation yields and on average molecular weight of the resulting copolymers was studied.